iPad mini vs. Nexus 7: Which should you get?

Apple has introduced their lighter, thinner, more "concentrated" iPad mini but they certainly weren't first-to-market with a small tablet. Most recently, Google and their partner, Asus, launched the Nexus 7, the best Android tablet to date.

Still, the Nexus 7 hasn't really caught on beyond Android aficionados and gadget geeks. And that's despite it's decent build quality, ultra-modern operating system, and the full-on Google support only Nexus-class devices enjoy. It remains to be seen if Apple's small tablet will fare any better in the thus-far completely big iPad dominated market, but if you're looking for an alternative, there's very few other places to look.

So what happens when you put Apple's iPad mini up against Google and Asus' Nexus 7? Apple's engineering precision up against Google's Android power? Let's take a look.

iPad mini vs. Nexus 7: Hardware

The Nexus 7 sports a quad-core Tegra 3 processor and a 7-inch IPS display at 1280x800 resolution, which translates into 216 ppi. It has NFC, Bluetooth 3.0, and GPS built-in, and they've just added an HSPA+ option to the high end model (but not LTE, and yes, that makes a difference). It's got a 1.2 megapixel, 720p camera on front, and the back is plastic, but soft-touch to make it easy to hold on to, even one-handed.

The speaker is stereo but Google doesn't make a big deal about it. The original Nexus 7 came with 8 or 16GB of storage, but that's just been bumped to 16 or 32GB. Battery life is rated at 9 hours for video, which is accurate in my experience. (Though standby time for me has been abysmal.)

The iPad mini blends an iPod touch-like casing and internals with a decidedly iPad 2-like 4:3 screen ratio, splitting the difference in side bezel almost down the middle. The back is aluminum and the front, a 7.9-inch IPS display at 1024x768 and163 ppi. How does that compare to the physically smaller but denser Nexus 7?

The iPad mini also has a die-shrunk, dual core Apple A5 processor inside, and while there's no NFC, there is GPS on the cellular model, and there are cellular models compatible with GSM and CDMA, including HSPA+, DC-HSPA+, and LTE around the world.

The iPad mini has stereo speakers but Apple likewise doesn't advertise them, and both a front facing 1.2mp, 720p camera and a rear-facing 5mp, 1080p camera. You can get the iPad mini in black or white, and in 16, 32, or 64GB versions. Battery life is rated at 10 hours for watching videos, and iPads have traditionally met Apple's battery life claims.

So when it comes to hardware, iPad mini wins on design, manufacturing, and elegance, and Nexus 7 wins on power and screen density.

iPad mini vs. Nexus 7: Software

The Nexus 7 runs Android 4.1 Jelly Bean but should be updated shortly to Android 4.2. Jelly Bean is a great operating system, but it's still better suited for phones instead of tablets. Google claims the Nexus 7 uses a mix of phone and tablet UI, based on what's best for the task at hand. My guess is they're still searching for the right way to translate Android to tablets and we'll see it in 5.0 or some other future version. Right now, however, it's much more like a big phone than a small tablet, and that's not a bad thing -- it might even be better for some users -- but it's a different thing. Also, while Google and Project Butter have done a lot to improve interface and performance, it's still not iOS-level polished, and things like the back button are still an exercise in frustration. That said, Android is even more powerful than ever, with features and functions far beyond those available to iOS. Google Now is more than a few steps ahead of Siri, notifications are actionable, and apps can actually communicate with each other. Imagine that.

iOS 6 comes loaded on the iPad mini, and Apple still leads the industry when it comes not only to polish and consistency, but to pushing out software updates for their devices (granted, they have much fewer of them and much more control over them than anyone else in industry). You still can't do a lot of things with iOS, and that will frustrate a lot of users, especially those with edge or very specific power needs, but what you can do you can do easily. iOS 6 also has a complete, optimized tablet interface with multiple columns and features beyond what you can fit on a single phone-style interface screen. Safari for iPad is still the best mobile browser (sorry Chrome), the Home button is an amazing escape hatch for non-technical users, and the accessibility features lead the industry.

So software is a similar story to hardware. Apple writes better code and creates more cohesive, consistent user experiences than Google. But Google makes code that does more things and is more customizable than Apple. Argue that all you want, but at the end of the day iOS in invariably smoother, more intuitive, more up-to-date, and more pixel perfect than Android, yet just as invariably misses out on a lot of features Android gets early and gets stock. If you want something that's accessible and just works, iOS has the advantage. If you want something configurable that just works the way you want it to, Android wins.

iPad mini vs. Nexus 7: Services

When it comes to services that bring the internet fully to your iPad mini, Apple has iCloud, which includes iTunes in the Cloud, iTunes Match, Photo Stream, Documents in the Cloud, Find my iPhone, Find my Friends, and more. As a service goes, it's... serviceable. It backs up and syncs your data and gives you access to all of the your iTunes content. But Apple is still new to the cloud and they aren't as strong at it as they are hardware and software. At least not yet.

Google was born in the cloud. They're the biggest cloud services provider in the world. Android, in many ways, is a localized front end for Google's cloud. Now the localized part traditionally wasn't as good as Apple -- they just chucked web pages inside of apps -- but Google has been getting better code as well. Now their services not only work well, but look better and perform far better than ever before.

The twist here is that you can get almost every single Google service on the iPad mini that you can get on the Nexus 7. Now, Android has by far -- by far! -- the better Google integration of course, but the iPad mini has a surprising amount as well, including the brand new Google Search. And that's also including Gmail, Google+ YouTube, Drive, Google, etc. That's a full, robust, and increasingly good set of offerings available in Apple's App Store. (For reasons that involve the difference in business models between Apple and Google.)

So, going with the Nexus 7, you get the best Google can offer, but nothing from Apple. Going with the iPad mini, you get everything Apple and almost everything Google, but there's one more kind of service to consider -- customer service.

The Apple Store is unmatched. From buying your iPad mini, to being taught how to use it, to easily getting help with it when something goes wrong, Apple has hundreds of stores in dozens of countries. If you live anywhere near an Apple Store and your iPad mini stops working, you can go in and get it fixed, or get it swapped out for a replacement, in a matter of hours. With the Nexus 7, all you'll have is lost time and patience as you wait for Google's notoriously non-human mechanisms to process you.

If you live in the Google cloud, Nexus 7 is undeniably the better choice. If you don't, go with the iPad mini. What Apple lacks in online services, Google makes up for, and you get the best customer service in the business.

iPad mini vs. Nexus 7: Content

Apple has a tremendous advantage when it comes to content. iTunes started earlier and is now in more countries and provides more content than anyone else on the planet. Moreover, like with the services above, even if you don't like iTunes books, movies, TV shows, etc., you can also get Amazon, Netflix, Spotify, and all the other content companies right on your iPhone.

Google provides a lot of its own content now with Google Play, and you have access to enough third party content that there's no real difference. If you live in the U.S., you're almost certainly good to go. If you live outside the U.S. it can literally be the difference between being able to get legitimate content onto your phone and not (if that matters to you).

When it comes to apps, Apple used to win by default based on the sheer magnitude of numbers. That's no longer true for phones, but it is for tablets. Apple has over 275,000 tablet-optimized apps. Google has a handful. Sure, you can run the 700,000+ Android phone apps on the Nexus 7, just like you can run the 700,000+ iPhone/iPod touch apps on the iPad mini, but that's a second-class experience. Do you want a big phone or a tablet?

Apple has also become slightly more open over time, and Android apps have become much better looking and better working. You can still knock Apple for being more controlling, both in terms of what apps you can get and how those apps can interact with each other (or not), but for some users the simplicity and security of that model trumps any neck-bearded annoyance.

Now, if you already have an iPhone or iPod touch or iPad, and a lot of iOS apps that work on the iPad mini, or if you've already bought a lot of iTunes media, that can make it easier and cheaper to stick with Apple. Likewise, if you already have a lot of content from Google Play, you'll find it easier to stick with Android.

Otherwise, if you're in the U.S., you're good to go with either, and if you're outside the U.S. and really care about buying your media, check and see what's available, but Apple and the iPad mini is your safer bet.

iPad mini vs. Nexus 7: Price

The Nexus 7 is $199 for 16GB, $249 for 32GB, $299 for 32GB + HSPA+.

The iPad mini is $329 for 16GB, $429 for 32GB, and $529 for 64GB, and you can get HSPA+/LTE on all of those for an additional $130.

So, while the iPad mini is much better built, uses aluminum instead of plastic, includes extras like LTE and a 5mp rear-facing camera, etc., the Nexus 7 absolutely wins on price.

iPad mini vs. Nexus 7: The bottom line

If you want to run Android, absolutely have to have a slightly higher screen density, or don't have more than $299 in your pocket, get the Nexus 7. Otherwise, get the iPad mini. Cost isn't the same thing as value.

The iPad is almost synonymous with tablets for most people, most of the time, for very good reason. If you want a Nexus 7, you specifically want a Nexus 7. If you want a tablet, you want an iPad mini.

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Reader comments

iPad mini vs. Nexus 7: Which should you get?

That last comment seems a bit off. I was always under the impression that it was the other way around.

If people want a tablet, they want a tablet. Any old hokey pokey thing will do.
If people want an iPad. They want an iPad. Nothing else will do.

Because even though I am all Android for phone, I would never, and I mean NEVER touch a tablet unless it's called an iPad. Simply because of the tablet app situation.

People, from what I saw while working Best Buy, go looking for iPads, iPods, and iPhones. And they get that. When they go looking for tablets, MP3 players (to a lesser degree since iPod is MP3 for all intents and purposes), and smartphones...they get the other stuff.

My last pay check was $9500 working 12 hours a week online. My sisters friend has been averaging 15k for months now and she works about 20 hours a week. I can't believe how easy it was once I tried it out. This is what I do, Fly38.com

You sir are an idiot
The play store as tons of tablet apps
When you say quality hope you mean
Outdated quality the 7 has twice the processing
Power and a much better screen and you lose about thirty min
Of battery life looks like you know nothing about technology

Or you could have both. I've had the iPad 1st gen and now the iPad 3rd gen. I lugged that 3rd gen on a 3 week trip on the other side of the world 2 months ago. That's when I realized just how cumbersome it could be because of the size and weight. For my next trip, I got a Nexus 7. The mini was yet to be announced and my trip was occurring before that. The 7-ish size for a tablet is just perfect! Android didn't take much to get used to and I loved customizing the homescreens. My next iPad may very well be a 2nd gen mini when that comes out. I prefer the size more when I'm traveling and even at home.

I have a whole lot of money down in the Apple franchise. 3GS, 4S, five various iPods of all ages, most of my music is ripped in .m4a, a big bag of purchased apps, etc.
This doesn't stop me from loving my Nexus7/16.
I have all those other units that do what they do and you aren't going to be taking my "New"iPad away very easily. That's just the point. I have all these units that I am happy with. The Nexus brings in utility that they don't offer. I like the widgets in Android. I actually only have a couple of apps that are dupes of ones on my iPad and those are ones like WeatherBug and Kindle that are on on everybody's pads and phones regardless of platform.
I like the form factor and screen density of the Nexus to lay around and watch video and movies; the iPad is to big and heavy to hold one handed for a whole flick and the Mini's extra width is gonna do nothing except put wider black bars around my movie. I don't care that my tunes need to be played on an Apple unit. I'm not about to stick the iPad OR Nexus in my shirt pocket to just play music when I go out jogging or to mow the grass; I'll throw in the Nano with my headphone preamp.
My iPad is great for reading news, Zite, FlipBook, Pocket, my RSS feeds. Games look great and play well. The Nexus's smaller screen doesn't hold up on these; neither would the Mini's.
Now, I haven't been down and fondled the iPadMini yet. Maybe the thinness they tout will grab me. But right now, I don't see how I can get any added utility out of one. Especially at the higher price point.

If I didn't already have a Nexus 7, I would be racing out to get an iPad mini. I can't wait to get a looksee at one (hopefully in the stores Friday). My N7 has got a beautiful screen, there are lots of apps, its very customizable, and it pretty much does everything I need it to do. The only complaints I have:
1) Sometimes when trying to view a website I can't scroll because its taking too long to load so I am stuck waiting (Grrr!). I know the Mini has a lower spec'd processor, but my history with Apple products makes me think the iPad would load faster (I could be wrong- time will tell).
2) My N7 has a screen flicker in low light settings. I only notice this when I'm reading at night before bed. I've never heard of this happening on an iPad.
3) The selection of accessories for the N7 is pathetic.
I have a boat load of stuff on iTunes so I have a feeling I'm going to give in and buy a Mini for myself for Christmas.

I vote for the iPad mini. I don't take for Android tablet because it lacks the build quality of Apple tablets. If all you care about is price, then go with the N7. If you want the best ever tablet in the market go with the iPad mini.

It's an opinion piece, bias is irrelevant especially on an iOS blog site. And while Rene is obviously an Apple fan so his bottom line was predictable, but came to the same conclusion of most comparison reviews. Also this piece isn't trashing the Nexus 7 nor is it portraying the iPad Mini as the ultimate tablet.

Are you insane. He had tons of great things to say about the Nexus, and Android in general. Try heading over to CNET. Apple can do no right with those people. I've never read a positive article about Apple from them. Rene did a very good job at being fair in this article.

I've had the Nexus 7 and while it was nice and I enjoyed the size, the fact that I couldn't find the apps I wanted/needed and that made it somewhat useless. When I think about the apps I use often on the IPad, Google can't offer anywhere near the same. While I read, watch movies and all kinds of fun activities on my Ipad, I also do a lot of work as well (and probably the mini when I get one). I just couldn't do the same because they don't offer the breadth and scope of useful apps I need and want to get the job done.

Wait, so you're saying that in a year (or maybe 7 months) the Mini will be as good as the Nexus 7 is now? I'm guessing a new Nexus 7 will be out by then which will be even better.

I was seriously considering the iPad until the Nexus 7 came out. I always thought the iPad was too big for my use case, but was willing to sacrifice comfort since no one was coming out with a compelling tab. Thank goodness Google brought the Nexus 7--got to have my cake and eat it for $199 :D

I don't think I've ever read so many comments from people about the iPad being too heavy. The thing's barely over a pound. Someone a few comments up said it was too heavy to read with one hand for any length of time. So sit down and hold it in your lap. I mean unless you're standing at a bus stop, who ever stands to read a book?

I think that the nexus 7 looks compeling from the first sight just like any other android device, that's because the software is adjustable to what you think is the best experience, but wait a second, this amusemant just vanishes after 2 or 3 months of adjusting and you find yourself facing problems in tge long term use. Otherwise Apple, which your amusemant keeps rising and your affection to your cliamed device increases by time and love on the long term use is the best experience ever. What matters here is the inside out not the outside in.

A statement couldn't be more inaccurate or biased. If you want to customize your Android software until you're bored to death then that's your own fault. You gave no reasons as to why iOS just becomes more entertaining over time, nor as to how it lasts longer. With android, no one is holding a gun to your head and forcing you to keep customizing it, you can run it the way it is and love it just the same. I'm both an iOS user and an Android user and while there is definitely the occasional apple hate in comments throughout the Android forums, no comment has baffled me with inaccuracy as much as this one.

Maybe I wasn't crystal clear, but here's what i think in a nutshell ( i'm talking based on samsung based android not google android). In the SGIII i'm afraid of going into the setting as i'll dive in a sea of sub-menus, lost in a zoo of wild settings. My mind gets puzzled and if i wanted to remember the path of a certain setting i wouldn't ever recall except if i start searching again and again. It's an endless viscious circle. Looking at the IOS you find inner peace and confidence that if you ever wanted a total recall, you'll absolutely nail it. This puts us back at square one, that it doesn't matter how customizable your phone is, it's how much you'll use of. This is where true happiness comes for the IOS, you'll use every bit of it till the core and beyond. On the other hand, you feel you're losing a lot when using samsung. Frontcamera on ios is the ultimate example of why apple doesn't put a spek of option until it is fully usable and helpful, hence they created facetime. If my point of view wasn't clear, i made it crystal clear.

Why curse and you have the choice of viewing your point with appropriate language???!!! Or is it because i am different with you?? Maybe i am wrong, maybe you are wrong but this doeas not demand a bad choice of words. The pure google android (nexus line) is the best android found and it is maybe better than ios for people who want an open, shisticated ,fully-customizable software. Other skins like touchwiz and sense take these specification and meess them up big time. Skins for android burry the trueurpose of andriod and bring it down. My words were about skins not google andriod and not stock android. Please better your language as this a respectable tecnological site.

No Retina, and last years A5 chip, not even an A5X chip? Yeah that's a pass. The iPad 4th Gen is the new tablet king. The Nexus 7 is good for people who want a "Tablet" sized device at a cheap price that has good value and good specs to good a long with it.

You do realize that the A5 and A5X chips were exactly the same in regards to the CPU, right? The A5X doubled the GPU cores to offset the retina display and help drive the extra pixels, but didn't actually make the iPad 3 perform any better than the iPad 2.

I'm surprised this review doesn't mention the difference in typing on the Nexus vs. the iPad mini.
The Nexus keyboard is extremely narrow and not really suited to the format of the device although I'm sure it works fine on a phone. The iPad mini is superb for thumb typing in portrait mode whereas the Nexus is awkward and hard to type on. If you want to actually do content creation, the iPad mini or a regular iPad is the only choice.

Keyboards are a personal preference thing. Some like the Android keyboard and some download other options. Some users swear by SwiftKey for example. I definitely prefer Android's word prediction and corrections (after the first few days of crappy predictions while it adapts) but I still find the iOS keyboard to be much better to type with. The smaller, spaced out keys definitely make a difference to me.

You absolute idiot. The Nexus 7 is far easier to type on, as the iPad Mini's screen is too wide and your thumb's can only just reach the middle of the keyboard when in portrait mode. In Android 4.2, the Nexus 7 has gesture typing, which is much faster than normal typing. Does the iPad Mini have that? No, no it doesn't.

Biased fanboys here argue that the iPad Mini has over 275,000 tablet apps available. Funny thing is, not a single one improves the typing/keyboard experience at all. However, the Nexus 7 has apps such as Swift key that enhances the typing experience.

"The Nexus is hard to type on"? It looks like you have never, ever, typed on a Nexus 7.

This article is baldfaced in its goal of short-circuiting the iPad mini critique that it's too expensive.

So how does the author try to accomplish this? By writing that if you say the mini is too expensive, then your lot is the blackberry playbook. But it's a dirty trick. It belies the secret belief that, yes, the author does believe the mini to be too expensive, otherwise, why 'condemn' critics to the playbook? Because having a blackberry is embarrassing, or so the author believes.

Usually we find such juvenile tactics in the comments sections. This time, it's in the article.

What in the world is wrong with these imore people? OBVIOUSLY this website shouldnt be allowed to do this kind of comparisons because for them nothing is better than apple and well.. No one should hear the opinion of Apples mind-fucked people. Sorry for my bad english.

I returned my Nexus 7 which I had pre-ordered and I'm about to purchase the iPad Mini. While the hardware specs were excellent there were a couple of issues that made me switch. The number 1 reason is tablet apps. Most of the apps on the N7 were phone apps stretched out... Facebook, Yelp, weather channel, tripadvisor, etc. Neither could I find a browser I liked as much as Safari in terms of smoothness of usage. Chrome was the closest but it doesn't do double-tap to zoom as well, and there's no tap on top bar to jump to top. Tried Firefox and Dophin HD but they weren't much different. I also missed being able to Facetime/iMessage with family. Skype video calls don't come anywhere near the quality of Facetime and messenger tools like WhatsApp don't work on tablets. There's also a weird bug (or perhaps hardware defect on my unit) where it would not charge if the device was powered off. If the battery ran dry it would need 24hrs just to get up to 20% then you'd have to power it on and let it charge while in sleep mode. The software keyboard also tends to miss key presses every once in a while which drove me nuts. That said I did like the notification center, I did like the multitasking button, and for $199 its a good value.

Had a Nexus 7 32 gb, returned it after four hours. Everything felt frustrating. Apps not working. Wi-Fi signal was terrible. Everything else Wi-Fi in my house works fine. Android just don't do it for me. The screen was pretty nice though and Google music synced my 32gb itunes library effortlessly. I didn't give it the time it deserved. It was an impulse buy. I knew i evenutally wanted an ipad

Neither. The 7" display on the Nexus is too small. I like the size and weight of the Mini but I just can't get past the low res display. Coming from an iPad 3 the difference in displays is night and day. Took the Mini back and will stay with my iPad 3. If/when the Mini gets a retina display, I'll be ack on board with it.

This is my dilemma as well. I think I'll just have to wait a year to see what the next Nexus tablet offers as well as the iPad mini 2. If Apple improves the screen and Google learns from all their 1st gen Nexus tablet issues, I think it'll be a tough decision. At least it'll be a decision though, picking from either of these right now feels a bit as if I'm settling.

I'm making $86 an hour working from home. I was shocked when my neighbour told me she was averaging $95 but I see how it works now. I feel so much freedom now that I'm my own boss. This is what I do, Fly26.com

Still have yet to pull the trigger on a tablet. They are just so expensive. Because of this I might end up with the N7. The only issue is the apps. There are apps in the Play Market that are only made for their phones. The devs haven't done as much as I would like to differentiate between the phones & the tablets.

seeing how this site is titled "I"more,I am NOT expecting this review to be fair,but coming here to see what you fanboys came up with, I'm actually kinda disappointed with how ridiculous your arguments are

I am in the process of picking one of these two tablets, so am reading everything I can find. This review is the worst I've come across yet. Blatantly biased. Despite what this author states, I'm looking for justification for spending more on the Ipad Mini and the default is the Nexus 7. The net of it is that it appears to have more apps, but even that is clear as mud, as other reviews state that there are 700,000 apps. in the Google Play store, most of which will automatically re-size to whatever screen you have. The other thing I found is that in the Geekbench score, the iPad mini scores approximately 760, while the Nexus 7 scores approx. 1500. That is a huge difference, so does the iPad feel a lot slower or is the difference not that noticeable? I keep reading differing views on the better screen on the Nexus, some people say you can't really tell the difference, and others say it is very noticeable, while watching movies.

Update to my previous post. I went to Staples who happened to have both in store and I was able to compare them side by side. The difference in depth is quite noticeable, the iPad definitely feels much thinner. The screen on the Nexus is definitely better, you can see the difference when you look at text and it is also noticeably faster. Finally, and what made this an easy decision for me, I couldn't hold the iPad with one hand easily, it's too wide. The Nexus 7 is absolutely ideal for holding in one hand. I've asked friends to try holding it too and nearly all the men and every single woman found it the right size and wouldn't be able to hold the iPad properly with one hand.

I absolutely love it, it's far better than the reviews would indicate. I've used iPod, iPhone, iPad, Android phone and another Android tablet, and this is better than anything I've used before. It is unbelievably fast. The one thing I never see mentioned and it is a HUGE advantage over anything I've ever used before is the new way of typing, I believe they call it "gesture based". I takes a while to get used to it, but I had a friend's son, who showed me how to do it well. I can now enter text probably twice as fast as before! The comment about apps is ridiculous. There are hundreds of thousands of apps that do everything I could ever imagine and more coming along every day.

That last comment is unbelievably biased. If all the blind apple fanboys actually opened their eyes for once instead of drooling over Apple's lame mobile OS and devices, they would see that, overall, the Nexus 7 crushes the 'iPad Mini', and the Nexus 10 crushes 'The New iPad' (4th generation one). <- That naming system isn't confusing at all, is it?